On Sunday, Larsen and I earned our first Master Hunter leg. I've seen some photos that prove that our land work wasn't pretty, but in the end, Larsen sat for the birds - - a fly-off, and a retrieve - - and I stayed out of the way, and that was that.
Larsen had some trouble finding the bird on the hunt dead. It may have been in a hole, since he seemed to pass over it a few times. On the water blind, it took some coaxing to get him focused on the far shore, but once he made up his mind, he found the bird and brought it back. On the water retrieve, he swam right to the bird, but decided to take the land route back. Aki's photo shows him rounding third and heading for home, bird in mouth, and a soft look in his eyes. He knew he was at work and loved every minute.
Three important takeaways from Joe's seminar, and one important pointer from Susan:
- I healed Larsen to the line with the english lead up high on his head. I noticed that he did not tug or fool around;
- On his fly-away, Larsen challenged me twice (as Joe said he would) to break off the hunt and dash for the bird. I was ready, and pipped him back to the task at hand just as those wayward thoughts formed in his head;
- I forced myself to focus and not daydream. When Larsen got birdy, I moved right up on him and was positioned to give him a pip.
- On the water, I did not let Larsen veer even a degree from straight to the opposite shore. Susan had warned me that Larsen, like his mom Mazie, would start to circle or swim somewhere pointless if given even a slight deviation.
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